Princess Uisun (1635–1662; birth name Yi Ae-suk) was a

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

Royal Family member who became the adopted daughter of

Hyojong of Joseon Hyojong of Joseon (3 July 1619 – 23 June 1659) was the seventeenth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1649 to 1659. He is best known for his plan for an expedition to the Manchu Qing dynasty, and his campaigns against the Russian Empire a ...

and

Queen Inseon Queen Inseon (Hangul: 인선왕후 장씨, Hanja: 仁宣王后張氏; 9 February 1619 – 19 March 1674), of the Deoksu Jang clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and queen consort of Yi Ho, King Hyojong. She was queen consort of Jos ...

, so she could marry the

Aisin Gioro The House of Aisin-Gioro was a Manchu clan that ruled the Later Jin dynasty (1616–1636), the Qing dynasty (1636–1912), and Manchukuo (1932–1945) in the history of China. Under the Ming dynasty, members of the Aisin Gioro clan served as c ...

prince

Dorgon Dorgon (, ; 17 November 1612 – 31 December 1650), was a Manchu prince and regent of the early Qing dynasty. Born in the House of Aisin-Gioro as the 14th son of Nurhaci (the founder of the Later Jin dynasty, predecessor of the Qing dynasty) ...

and later, prince Bolo.

Biography

Background

Yi Ae-suk was born one of the four daughters and seven sons of Yi Gye-yun, himself a 4th great-grandson of

Seongjong of Joseon Seongjong of Joseon (19 August 1457 – 20 January 1495), personal name Yi Hyeol (Korean: ; Hanja: ), was the ninth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Before succeeding his uncle, King Yejong, he was known as Grand Prince Jalsan (Korean: ...

, and a fourth cousin twice removed of Hyojong.

Political marriage

In 1650,

sent the minister of Ministry of Revenue, Gioro Bahana, as an emissary to the

court, to forge an alliance with

, asking the king to choose a suitable bride for him. The bride could be a daughter of either one of the royal family members or the king's subjects.Veritable Records of Hyojong, day 7, month 3, year 1 of Hyojong's reign
"" Bahana delivered the order from the prince regent and was told that the king's daughter was only two years old, which he suggested that a female from the royal clan could be an option; on the other hand, the king's ministers greatly opposed offering any of their daughters as well.Veritable Records of Hyojong, day 5, month 3, year 1 of Hyojong's reign
"" Twenty days later, Ae-suk was given the title Princess Uisun and her biological father, Yi Gyeyun, was gifted cloth and rice as reward. Nearly one month after her adoption as Hyojong's daughter, Princess Uisun left the palace at

Hanseong Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

, accompanied by 16 maids, a female physician, and her nursemaid. After the her arrival in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, Dorgon complained about the appearance of his new wife and her court maids, and he even doubted the loyalty from Joseon. Merely seven months later, Dorgon died in the same year. Princess Uisun was asked to remarry one of Dorgon's nephews, his general Prince Bolo of the Second Rank, but he also died in 1652.Veritable Records of Shunzhi
""

Return to Korea

In the winter of 1655, Yi Gyeyun was dispatched as part of a diplomatic party to

. Yi presented tribute and was entertained at a feast, during which he wept and petitioned for Princess Uisun to return to Korea, and his wish was granted. Princess Uisun returned to Joseon in the summer of 1656; on her return, Hyojong granted the princess a monthly pension to support the rest of her life. Yi Gyeyun's acts, however, received severe criticism from other court officials for requesting her return without consulting the king beforehand; under the pressure from the court, Yi Gyeyun lost his official position after a series of impeachments.Veritable Records of Hyojong, volume 16, day 10, month 5, year 7 of Hyojong's reign
"" Princess Uisun died of an illness in 1662 and her burial rites were provided for by

Hyeonjong of Joseon Hyeonjong of Joseon (14 March 1641 – 17 September 1674) was the 18th king of the Joseon dynasty of Korea, reigning from 1659 to 1674. His reign was mostly marked by heavy conflict among the nation's political factions on various issues, particu ...

, who described her fate as pitiable.Veritable Records of Hyeonjong, day 8, month 5, year 3 of Hyojong's reign
""

Family

*Father: Yi Gye-yun, Prince Geumrim (이계윤 금림군), 4th generation descendant of the

royal house by

** Adoptive father:

(조선 효종) (3 July 1619 - 23 June 1659) *Mother: Lady Yu of the Munhwa Yu clan (문화 유씨) ** Adoptive mother:

of the

Deoksu Jang clan The Deoksu Jang clan () is one of the bon-gwan or Korean clans from Kaepung County, North Hwanghae Province.The clan was founded by , an Arab- Uiguric Muslim civil servant who served in the Goryeo court. According to the research held in 2015, th ...

(인선왕후 장씨) (1618 - 1674) * Siblings ** Older brother - Yi Jun (이준, 李浚) ** Older brother - Yi Su (이수, 李洙) ** Older brother - Yi Hae (이해, 李海) *Husband: # Aisin Gioro Dorgon, Prince Rui of the First Rank (多爾袞) (17 November 1612 – 31 December 1650) # Aisin Gioro Bolo, Prince Duanzhong of the First Rank (博洛) (1613 – 23 April 1652)

References

Notes

Works cited

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Uisun, Princess 17th-century Korean people 1635 births 1662 deaths Princesses of Joseon Qing dynasty imperial consorts 17th-century Korean women Qing dynasty princesses consorts